"Goodbye, Tommy."
Even though the entire film is a Tearjerker really, there are some moments in particular that really stand out among the others.
- The stories of several farmers getting notices and driven off their land.
- The Joad family sadly isn't immune to the process, as they had to abandon their home, and move into John's farm. They knew they couldn't stay there for too long, but they were desperate to not have to leave their land behind.
- And then there's Muley Graves, a kind and warm-hearted farmer who was also forced to give up his land, not only was that land valuable for him and his family, but it was all they had. The family was poor and couldn't afford any food for their kids, so having the bank move in and mercilessly take what was theirs, and was heartbreaking for them.
- Since Muley Graves refused to move with rest of his family, he had to live the rest of his long, sad days thinking about how he had been unable to save his place, and gradually grew insane thinking about it.
- The famous scene of Ma Joad pausing to moon over and then burn her letters/souvenir-keepsakes (which are a newspaper clipping, a postcard, a china souvenir, and earrings) in the stove before departing in a dilapidated truck on a long drive for California to find employment (including the image of her holding earrings to her ears and viewing herself in a mirror).
- Anytime a member of the Joad family dies.
- William Jones Joad (or Grampa) dying from a stroke. After fighting to not abandon their place, he got tired and weak from struggling and old age. The entire Joad family mourned his passing, and Joad wrote a grave marker for him while the rest of the family buried him.
- Granma Joad near her end, she was being comforted by Ma Joad, and also repeated the line softly and weakly, "I want Grandpa." This doubles as Heartwarming since she's recalling memories of her husband who had recently passed away. Ma Joad was worried sick about her.
- Not only that, the Joad family was breaking up at the time as Ma stated to Tom when he tries to leave the family. Al went off on his own, Uncle John got his destroyed, and Pa (Tom Sr. in the book) didn't have a home anymore, so the family was all broken up. Plus Winifred and Ruthie — the youngest members of the Joad family — wouldn't have proper surveillance.
- Jim Casy being beaten to death by a guard.
- The description of food being destroyed to drive prices up while people nearby are starving.There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation. There is a sorrow here that weeping cannot symbolize. There is a failure here that topples all our success. The fertile earth, the straight tree rows, the sturdy trunks, and the ripe fruit. And children dying of pellagra must die because a profit cannot be taken from an orange. And coroners must fill in the certificate - died of malnutrition - because the food must rot, must be forced to rot.
- The famous farewell scene between Tom Joad and his mother.
- Ma Joad is a total Woobie throughout the film, not only was the family breaking apart at the time, she also lost her home, had to drive to California hoping to find jobs, found out the work conditions were awful and barely paid them, and can barely make ends meet, but nonetheless she's still sweet and caring to her family and willing to believe in the future.
- Tom's final reflections of Casy and the meaning of his death.
- Tom's famous monologue explaining how he will finish what Casy started by fighting for social reform, is both a moment of awesome and this.
- The final scene of the film, where Ma's says her final inspiring words in the front seat of a pickup truck:Ma Joad: We're the people that live. They can't wipe us out. They can't lick us. And we'll go on forever, Pa... 'cause... we're the people.
